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Zoe

Gender
Girl
Say it
ZOH-ee
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#100 for girls
US rank, 2025
#31 for girls
Style
Classic

Zoe is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “life”. In 2025 it ranked 100th for girls in the UK (535 babies) and 31st for girls in the US (5,646 babies).

What does Zoe mean?

Greek

“life”

Greek for life; it was adopted early by Greek-speaking Jews as a translation of Eve, and borne by an 11th-century Byzantine empress.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Zoe a girl's or a boy's name?

Zoe is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 535 girls and 3 boys in the UK and 5,646 girls and 13 boys in the US.

How popular is Zoe in the UK?

Rank in 2025
100th among girls
Babies in 2025
535 about 1 in 520 girls
Five-year trend
Steady down 15% in five years
Same name in a class
2.7% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 535 girls in the UK were named Zoe, making it the 100th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 96th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 2,067 girls. 3 boys were also named Zoe in 2025 (5,065th for boys).

2025 had the fewest girls named Zoe since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the girls named Zoe in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2014. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2025, 661 girls in the UK were given Zoe or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #92, up from #100 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 104th in England and Wales, 52nd in Scotland and 132nd in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1974 (#30), 1984 (#41), 1994 (#30), 2004 (#58), 2014 (#99) and 2024 (#99).

1996Busiest: 2,067 in 19962025
Zoe in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025535#100
2024544#98
2023558#98
2022558#100
2021556#102
2020591#96
2019665#87
2018666#87
2017650#90
2016750#81
2015759#86
2014719#89
2013719#85
2012788#84
2011845#83
2010946#78
2009975#76
2008961#77
2007966#74
20061,006#69
20051,018#62
20041,184#54
20031,228#49
20021,395#43
20011,419#42
20001,381#42
19991,374#46
19981,559#43
19972,045#31
19962,067#32

How popular is Zoe in the US?

Rank in 2025
31st among girls
Babies in 2025
5,646 about 1 in 280 girls
Five-year trend
Steady up 11% in five years
Same name in a class
4.8% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 5,646 girls in the US were named Zoe, making it the 31st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 40th. Its busiest year was 2012, with 6,466 girls. 13 boys were also named Zoe in 2025 (6,442nd for boys).

Half of all the girls named Zoe in the US since 1880 were born between 2003 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 9,389 girls in the US were given Zoe or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #11, up from #31 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 6,466 in 20122025
Zoe in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20255,646#31
20245,733#29
20235,190#36
20225,022#38
20214,739#42
20204,799#40
20195,071#38
20185,124#40
20175,173#41
20165,764#35
20156,051#33
20145,884#32
20135,978#31
20126,466#30
20116,309#31
20106,274#31
20095,152#47
20084,781#58
20074,937#56
20065,153#54
20054,965#58
20045,363#54
20035,087#57
20024,887#60
20014,645#65
20003,785#82
19993,237#104
19982,692#122
19972,362#134
19962,065#155
19951,726#176
19941,335#215
19931,192#236
1992982#281
1991722#356
1990478#502
1989377#579
1988243#770
1987246#733
1986214#786
1985196#829
1984203#789
1983175#869
1982130#1,088
1981112#1,181
1980103#1,260
1979108#1,204
197894#1,290
1977122#1,067
197695#1,191
1975125#984
1974106#1,094
1973121#980
197295#1,146
1971122#1,015
1970132#961
196992#1,162
196886#1,166
196780#1,187
1966118#929
196576#1,238
196480#1,229
196382#1,211
196297#1,104
1961123#972
1960118#986
1959126#932
1958151#823
1957143#847
195693#1,057
1955118#901
1954119#877
195396#973
1952100#924
195196#944
195067#1,122
194981#999
194868#1,069
194754#1,227
194666#1,041
194545#1,174
194448#1,128
194340#1,290
194253#1,076
194160#948
194054#971
193955#953
193865#870
193772#810
193679#757
193589#713
193479#751
193379#742
193286#724
193177#761
193054#1,002
192973#828
192864#924
192757#1,010
192658#980
192573#870
192474#868
192361#941
192264#917
192190#771
192080#814
191953#984
191868#869
191757#916
191665#840
191557#865
191437#972
191328#1,020
191237#820
191130#790
191034#723
190922#868
190823#809
190719#871
190619#845
190524#734
190427#668
190319#789
190234#559
190126#615
190026#705
189927#593
189830#586
189735#491
189636#487
189534#499
189428#546
189323#594
189234#465
189134#430
189042#384
188929#454
188842#369
188734#367
188625#432
188527#394
188431#358
188323#386
188225#352
188122#346
188023#333

Nicknames for Zoe

Names like Zoe

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Chloe, Ellie, Hannah, Sophie, Emma, Jasmine, Molly, Charlotte, Emily, Francesca, Lucy, Leah

Other spellings of Zoe

Zoey, Zoie, Xoey, Zoee, Xoe, Zoei, Xoie, Zhoe, Zowie, Zoiee

Names related to Zoe

Zoeya, Zo, Zooey

More Greek names

Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Iris, Maisie, Lainey

Every Greek name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Zoe: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/zoe, updated 20 October 2026.